The present invention relates to a restraint and a restraint assembly which holds a portion of a patient such as the head or a limb in a fixed position for the taking of X-rays.
One of the difficult problems in the taking of X-rays of many injuries which occur in the joint of a patient, such as the knee or elbow, is opening up the space between bones of the joint so that the injured area can be clearly X-rayed. To perform such X-rays, it is often necessary to restrain one portion of the limb and manipulate the other portion to open up the joint so that the X-rays can be taken of the injured area. For example, with certain knee injuries, the thigh of the patient should be restrained just above the knee, and the lower leg manipulated at the ankle to open up the knee joint. In the past, such X-rays were sometimes taken by draping the leg of the patient over a pillow or similar support, but this technique does not always allow the knee to be manipulated as desired and the angles at which X-rays can be taken using this technique are quite limited. As a result, such X-rays were ordinarily taken by having one X-ray technician hold the thigh of the patient with another X-ray technician manipulating the leg.
Another problem in the taking of X-rays is holding the patient still so that a clear X-ray can be taken. This is often a problem with small infants who do not understand the necessity of remaining still as an X-ray is being taken. As a result, such infants must often be manually restrained as the X-ray is being taken and the hand of the technician holding the infant may appear in the X-ray and obscure it. Also, when head X-rays are to be taken, the head must be held completely still so that the X-ray will be sufficiently accurate for diagnosis, and even with adults, it is often necessary to restrain the heads so that the X-ray will be sufficiently accurate.
In each of the situations enumerated above, X-ray technicians are ordinarily used to restrain the patient so that the X-rays can be taken. As a result, an X-ray technician engaging in such practices is often near the X-ray machine as it is operated and subjected to the X-rays. Over a period of time, the effect of such X-rays is cumulative and the danger to the X-ray technician mounts. The practices discussed above which necessitate the use of an X-ray technician in the area of the X-ray machine as the X-rays are being taken is a severe hazard to such technicians, but one which is not easily avoided.